The subject of design, engineering and technology, and the multifaceted disciplines it traverses, has helped to define the world in which we live. At Oundle we foster inquisitive minds and in the Patrick Engineering Centre, we encourage our pupils to investigate and experience the three languages of design; aesthetics, articulation and analysis. Through our Scholarship programme we are looking to identify and nurture curious young people with passion, commitment and creativity, offering exciting opportunities, bespoke experiences and world-class facilities in return.
Jon Baker, Director of the Patrick Engineering Centre and Head of Design, Engineering and Technology (DET).

OUR APPROACH

We believe in a curriculum that enables pupils to adopt complementary design strategies and manufacturing techniques that are applied to solving design problems, realising ideas, evaluating and improving products for the benefit of the user. Supported by talented and passionate staff, Oundelians have the opportunity to work on projects in the truly outstanding Patrick Engineering Centre, where a balance of state-of-the-art digital manufacturing systems and artisan practical techniques are utilised to produce tangible outcomes. 

We are proud of our DET Scholars who set high standards to their peers, who challenge themselves in the projects they choose to pursue and who are enthusiastic about the wider impact of the subject on a global scale. 

Our commitment to our Scholars

We are committed to providing the very best support to our Scholars by setting them on an early pathway to ambitious and achievable goals. We offer: 

  • Priority time during weekly and weekend voluntaries/elective sessions 
  • ‘Special or Pet Projects’ with materials funded by the DET department 
  • Prioritised practical sessions outside of the timetable to assist in such projects 
  • Opportunities to lead Engineering teams as part of Greenpower and the Engineering in Education Scheme 
  • Chances to work with industrial practitioners in one-off and ongoing group projects 
  • Additional support for programmes including preparation for national scholarship and awards such as The Arkwright Trust 
  • Free one-to-one tuition with our Technical Instructors on standardised industrial equipment and software 
  • An annual funded Scholars’ Away Day. 

Arkwright Engineering Scholarships

Over the past five years, Oundle pupils have been awarded twenty Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, regarded by universities and industry as one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented Sixth Form pupil can achieve. The Scholarships consist of an annual financial award and a range of enrichment activities, such as mentoring and industry visits that enhance a Scholar’s experience of engineering and technical design in a real-world context.

I have really enjoyed Design, Engineering and Technology in my time at Oundle so far, especially as a 13+ Scholar. I love being able to have access to the Patrick Engineering Centre at weekends and having the ability to make whatever I like using top-of-the-range equipment. Scholar time at weekends is really welcoming, and when I was new in Third Form, older pupils helped me to get to know the department and to use equipment. We are still friends today. Prior to this year I had no experience in metal work and yet now I can use eight different machines and make a range of different things, which has been great fun.
Henrietta Newble, Design, Engineering and Technology Scholar
1

Dedicated multi-use large projects area

6

Full time teachers

3D

Printers to be able to print multiple materials in 3D

4

Specialist technical instructors

2

Imperial college outreach fellows working with pupils in lessons

5

Open plan workshops

4

Design Studios

1

VEX Robotics Lab

Could you be our next Design, Engineering and Technology Scholar

What do we look for at 13+?
What do we look for at 16+?
How do I apply for a DET Scholarship?
Is bursary support available to Scholars?
Can you apply for a Scholarship in more than one discipline?

We offer a DET Scholarship to pupils who demonstrate a strong interest and proven track record in the subject. We are looking for candidates who are passionate either about a discreet area of the curriculum or broader areas within fields related to design, engineering or technologies. As part of the Scholarship process, candidates will take a 45-minute aptitude paper and an individual one-hour practical assessment, followed by a 15-minute interview by the Head of Design, Engineering and Technology where pupils present a portfolio of their work consisting of no more than ten pages. 

These three elements of the Scholarship assessment process have been constructed to gauge the holistic capabilities and potential of each applicant. Enthusiasm for the subject, promise and quality of the finished projects presented during the interview are also taken into account. There is the expectation that our Scholars will study Design, Engineering and Technology to at least GCSE level and be keen to be involved in the complementary curriculum that takes place in the Patrick Engineering Centre. 

We offer a Scholarship to a pupil who has demonstrated a strong interest and proven track record in the subject in recent years. We seek an individual who is engaged with the subject at large, is aspirational and is empathetic to the needs of the people they design products or systems for. Candidates should be confident in presenting their ideas to others and willing to challenge themselves through rigorously building, testing and refining their ideas. The selection process will involve candidates sitting a one-and-a-half-hour examination, made up of two 45-minute sections designed to test not only their current understanding of the subject but also their imagination and inventiveness. 

One of the two sections will be a problem-solving exercise, using annotated sketches to display a solution to a given brief. At interview, candidates will also be required to present a project of their own design and making. This project must be accompanied by a portfolio that displays progression from the initial brief, through planning and manufacture to an evaluation. It is expected that, at this level, candidates will be able to articulate their knowledge of design practices and fabrication methods. 

To apply for a DET Scholarship or for any general questions or Scholarship assessment related queries please contact the Admissions office

Tel: 01832 277125

admissions@oundleschool.org.uk

All Scholarship applicants are encouraged to apply for means-tested bursaries should they need financial support. We are proud that over one hundred pupils at Oundle are supported with bursaries and we are continually working to increase our Bursary Endowment Fund. 

Talented candidates who have a genuine interest and ability in two or more of our Scholarship disciplines are invited to consider applying for an Oundle Scholarship. An Oundle Scholarship recognises and celebrates the qualities we look for in all our pupils: high academic standards together with significant commitment to the wider life of the School. 

Assessment includes social and communication skills, mental dexterity, and the ability to influence and lead others positively by argument and example. Oundle Scholars are offered access to elements of the Academic Scholarship Programme, as well as to many of the enrichment opportunities provided for Scholars in their two areas of particular interest. 

Could you be our next Design, Engineering and Technology Scholar

What do we look for at 13+?

We offer a DET Scholarship to pupils who demonstrate a strong interest and proven track record in the subject. We are looking for candidates who are passionate either about a discreet area of the curriculum or broader areas within fields related to design, engineering or technologies. As part of the Scholarship process, candidates will take a 45-minute aptitude paper and an individual one-hour practical assessment, followed by a 15-minute interview by the Head of Design, Engineering and Technology where pupils present a portfolio of their work consisting of no more than ten pages. 

These three elements of the Scholarship assessment process have been constructed to gauge the holistic capabilities and potential of each applicant. Enthusiasm for the subject, promise and quality of the finished projects presented during the interview are also taken into account. There is the expectation that our Scholars will study Design, Engineering and Technology to at least GCSE level and be keen to be involved in the complementary curriculum that takes place in the Patrick Engineering Centre. 

What do we look for at 16+?

We offer a Scholarship to a pupil who has demonstrated a strong interest and proven track record in the subject in recent years. We seek an individual who is engaged with the subject at large, is aspirational and is empathetic to the needs of the people they design products or systems for. Candidates should be confident in presenting their ideas to others and willing to challenge themselves through rigorously building, testing and refining their ideas. The selection process will involve candidates sitting a one-and-a-half-hour examination, made up of two 45-minute sections designed to test not only their current understanding of the subject but also their imagination and inventiveness. 

One of the two sections will be a problem-solving exercise, using annotated sketches to display a solution to a given brief. At interview, candidates will also be required to present a project of their own design and making. This project must be accompanied by a portfolio that displays progression from the initial brief, through planning and manufacture to an evaluation. It is expected that, at this level, candidates will be able to articulate their knowledge of design practices and fabrication methods. 

How do I apply for a DET Scholarship?

To apply for a DET Scholarship or for any general questions or Scholarship assessment related queries please contact the Admissions office

Tel: 01832 277125

admissions@oundleschool.org.uk

Is bursary support available to Scholars?

All Scholarship applicants are encouraged to apply for means-tested bursaries should they need financial support. We are proud that over one hundred pupils at Oundle are supported with bursaries and we are continually working to increase our Bursary Endowment Fund. 

Can you apply for a Scholarship in more than one discipline?

Talented candidates who have a genuine interest and ability in two or more of our Scholarship disciplines are invited to consider applying for an Oundle Scholarship. An Oundle Scholarship recognises and celebrates the qualities we look for in all our pupils: high academic standards together with significant commitment to the wider life of the School. 

Assessment includes social and communication skills, mental dexterity, and the ability to influence and lead others positively by argument and example. Oundle Scholars are offered access to elements of the Academic Scholarship Programme, as well as to many of the enrichment opportunities provided for Scholars in their two areas of particular interest.